The present invention is directed to a collapsible storage device, and in particular to a collapsible entertainment center or shelving unit for storing or supporting numerous items that, when disassembled, is self-contained and easily transportable.
Many people live or work in locations from which they are required to frequently move, with such locations often providing only limited space. These individuals and environments include, for example, college students living in dorms, individuals living in apartments that move frequently for business or personal reasons, or business people setting up temporary offices.
Due to the limited size of such environments it is desirable to maximize the use of floor space for storage of the various items needed to live and work in such locations. Therefore, it is beneficial to have furnishings or equipment, such as entertainment centers or shelving units, to store items such as televisions, stereo equipment, compact refrigerators, CDs, DVDs, books, files, and the like. In addition to conveniently storing these items, the furnishings or equipment are beneficial to protect the items from damage or locate the items in a more suitable position for use as opposed to being merely spread or stacked upon a floor. Due to the communal living or working arrangements of some such environments, it is also desirable for the furnishings or equipment to enable stored items to be safely and securely stored to limit the risk of theft.
However, the frequent transporting of furnishings or equipment used to store such items is difficult and cumbersome. Dorms and apartments generally require the devices to be carried up and down stairs or over long distances, which often requires the assistance of numerous people and may result in injuries. Furthermore, due to the tight confines of such locations and the need to move the devices through narrow doorways, damage to both the devices and the locations often occurs.
In order to ease transportation, some furnishings and equipment devices may be disassembled. However, the original packaging is frequently not retained such that the loose pieces themselves are awkward to move or are prone to becoming lost. Furthermore, disassembly may be time consuming and require tools that individuals living in such environments do not have or do not desire to maintain. Finally, not all furnishings or equipment are even designed for disassembly.
Therefore, there is a need for a device that efficiently and securely contains and stores personal or business items, but which is easily disassembled without risk of losing disassembled pieces and is conveniently transported such that damage to the device and the environment within which it is used is avoided.